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19-year-old released on bail after alleged Koran-burning video

A 19-year-old from Leeds, West Yorkshire, who was arrested in connection with an offensive video he posted on a social media website has been released on bail.

A video, which was shared to the Yorkshire Standard, showed a man ripping apart an English translation of the Koran with his teeth and putting it in the toilet before burning it.

The police arrested the suspect on 27 December after people raised concerns for the safety of the person who had posted the video up following a number of public comments made in response to it. People also called the police complaining about the offensive nature of the video.

The suspect was arrested from an address in Beeston, Leeds, on suspicion of a racially or religiously aggravated public order offence.

Superintendent Mabs Hussain, of Leeds District Police, said: “Due to the nature of this offence, any decision to charge must be taken by the Director of Public Prosecutions. We are currently preparing an advice file which we will be submitting to the Crown Prosecution Service in due course. In the meantime the arrested man has been released on bail to an alternative location.

“We are aware of strong feelings expressed by a number of people in response to this video. We would again urge people to allow this investigation to run its course and remind members of the public that we will take robust action against anyone who acts outside of the law.”

The Yorkshire Standard was notified by various members of the public about the video. The site also received links to the video and it had been shared at least over 1,000 times and had over 100 comments – some included death threats. It was removed from the account a day after the arrest.

The police were contacted by the Yorkshire Standard for a clarification on whether the man did rip the Koran, put it in a toilet and burn it. The police refused to confirm or go into detail. The video was deemed as an offensive video.